India secures purchase of 26 Rafale fighter aircraft from France, targeting naval aviation reinforcement.
Update: India has sealed a significant defense deal with France, acquiring 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for its navy, worth around €6.5 billion. This move strengthens India's naval aviation capabilities as it modernizes its armed forces.
The contract is an extension of a 2016 agreement for 36 Rafales, a French-built aircraft, which remains the most expensive contract ever secured by France's military aviation industry. The new addition will beef up India's existing Rafale fleet.
The Rafale, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, is a multipurpose fighter jet capable of air defense, reconnaissance, and strike missions, and is also part of France's nuclear deterrent capability.
France's military currently operates 165 Rafales, including 41 carrier variants. Since 2015, the Rafale has become a major export success for France, with countries such as Qatar, Egypt, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Croatia purchasing a total of 285 aircraft.
More: The upcoming Rafale jets are expected to operate from India’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, replacing aging MiG-29Ks and boosting maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement includes indigenous weapons integration, local fuselage production, and maintenance facilities for engines and sensors.
Deliveries will begin by late 2029 and will be completed by 2031. This deal underscores India’s focus on modernizing its naval aviation amidst regional security challenges and deepens India-France defense ties, enhancing joint operational capabilities with the Indian Air Force’s existing Rafale fleet.
- The agreement for the purchase of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets from France, worth around €6.5 billion, signifies a strengthening of India's finance and aerospace industries.
- The new addition of Rafale jets to India's existing fleet will not only help in beefing up its naval aviation capabilities but also will foster closer ties between the Indian and French industries.
- With the integration of indigenous weapons, local fuselage production, and maintenance facilities for engines and sensors, the upcoming Rafale jets are expected to operate efficiently from India’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
- The tariff for the Rafale jets, along with the 2016 agreement for 36 Rafales, marks the most expensive contract ever secured by France's military aviation industry, agreeing to strengthen India’s maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region.
